The companies' long-term confidence in the China market seemed not to have been dented by the strained relations between the two countries, as evidenced partly by the finding that 83 percent of surveyed companies had not moved any segments of their supply chains out of China in the past year.

A reading above 100 reflects an upward trend in business while a reading below 100 indicates dented vitality.

All the companies reported lower profits last year, as the coronavirus outbreak dented fuel demand.

The company also reported a 42.9 percent drop in net profit to 32.92 billion yuan last year, as the pandemic dented fuel consumption amid months-long lockdowns.

A reading below 100 indicates dented vitality.

Frauds or false disclosures of a small proportion of listed firms could dent investor confidence in a wider range of firms and weigh on the long-term performance of the A-share market, said Liu.

The mega deal stands as a much-needed and well-timed boost for Hong Kong, whose economy and reputation have been dented amid the ongoing waves of violent protests.

But analysts were cautious about whether his departure would dent Alibaba's globalization ambition of serving 2 billion users and creating 100 million jobs by 2036 amid economic uncertainty and rising protectionist sentiment.

Even if the Intel acquisition turns out to be flop, it won't leave a major dent in Apple's finances.

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi's latest inroad into the UK market is dented by an embarrassment caused by its first promotional activity a week before the company's official store launch in the country.

JLR said escalating trade tension between China and the United States has dented consumer confidence in China.

Latest iPhone models unlikely to do so well in China due to absence of major upgradeApple Inc's dual SIM card design for new iPhones in the Chinese market will resonate well with local consumers, but the lack of a major upgrade is likely to dent their enthusiasm to buy them, experts said on Thursday.

Expensive valuations taking a dent as price shocks hurt earnings prospectsChinese technology companies are rushing to launch multibillion-dollar IPOs outside the mainland this year－an opportunity for investors, but one that has generated gloomy returns of late.

However, Alibaba's buying spree - which covers brick-and-mortar retailers, department stores and logistics businesses - has dented its profitability, with its operating margin shrinking to 31 percent in the last quarter, from 39 percent a year earlier.

He said that the pandemic dented consumer demand across a variety of sectors, from domestic products and travel to catering, education and entertainment, and has even reshaped overall consumption patterns.

Legal protections make nation more attractive place to conduct business, spur commerceBEIJING — Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic some three years ago, the confidence of global investors has been dented by mounting uncertainties.

Business confidence in factory output going forward strengthened in China to a 10-month high upon expectations of waning COVID-19 disruptions even as a rise in infections dented manufacturing activity in December, a private survey said on Tuesday.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, the confidence of global investors has been dented by mounting uncertainties.

Lu said both supply and demand could be dented in the early stages, which would result in relatively stable inflation, adding that inflation may pick up slightly due to some release in pent-up demand.

The latest sanctions have restricted the use of forex reserves held by Russia and excluded some Russian banks from the SWIFT system, which has dented relevant countries' confidence in the US dollar.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dented the profitability of many businesses.

"More intensified tax and fee cuts, in the long run, will be conducive to the growth of smaller businesses and manufacturing upgrade, yet they are likely to dent local fiscal revenue in the short term.

Analysts have expressed concerns that the Omicron variant is likely to dent global economic recovery, and the pandemic's impact on global industrial and supply chains is set to continue.

Adverse factors dragging down economic growth include a series of COVID-19 outbreaks that have dented the recovery of domestic consumption, especially activities in the offline services sector.

However, retail sales grew 3.9 percent year-on-year last month, down from 4.9 percent in October, as sporadic COVID-19 cases dented offline consumption activities, the bureau said.

Meanwhile, the CPI reading remained subdued amid dropping food prices led by pork, as well as domestic COVID-19 cases that dented demand for travel, the bureau said.

Average rate in China higher than the minimum level levied for global firmsThe latest agreement reached among G7 economies over a possible minimum tax rate will dent the profits of leading global technology and pharmaceutical giants, said experts.

Lu said these measures will likely dent the recovery in the services sector, especially the hospitality industry, but may provide a small boost to industrial production and construction in south China in the holiday season, as workers would remain at workplaces.

China now has the second-largest billionaire group worldwide, despite COVID-19 putting a dent in global wealth accumulation, according to a recent report.

Rising gold prices have not dented consumer demand for jewelry in China — and this trend will likely continue due to factors like yuan depreciation, need for safe-haven assets and the upcoming traditional wedding season, experts said.

China's property market, a pillar industry of the economy, has gone through a tough year in 2022, pounded by factors such as COVID-19 resurgences, dented market confidence, and shrinking demand.

Although strict measures have been taken in Beijing to control COVID-19, they have failed to dent enthusiasm for visiting the Universal Studios park.

Remote work and extensive video conferencing will put a dent in business travel (expected to be down by around 20 percent from pre-pandemic levels).

China Eastern said the diverse travel restrictions of nations dented market demand and passengers' willingness to travel.

China now has the second-largest billionaire group behind the United States, despite COVID-19 putting a dent in global wealth accumulation, according to a separate report this month by UBS and consultancy PwC.

Even though the coronavirus pandemic forced these brands to hit the pause button for two months, it has failed to dent their overall expansion ambitions.

China's major oil and gas companies are expected to face fewer headwinds in the second half of this year despite their profit drops during the first six months, as the novel coronavirus epidemic lockdowns and sagging global oil prices dented their profit margins.

The country's major oil and gas players, including China National Petroleum Corp, China Petrochemical Corp and China National Offshore Oil Corp, have posted losses for the first quarter and cut capital expenditure for this year as the oil price collapse and the fuel demand crash dented their revenues.

As the novel coronavirus epidemic dented consumption in the country, China has been encouraging innovative ways to tap market potential, especially in the countryside.

Wu Kunlun, director of the provincial key laboratory of highland barley genetics breeding, said highland barley breeding research institutions in Qinghai have made a dent in yield and variety improvement.

Cinema houses in China rebounded strongly from the SARS virus which also put a temporary dent on earnings of the sector some 17 years ago.

To be sure, this year's COVID-19 epidemic has dented the peak-season business; but, the gains made already are creating robust confidence that the short-term pains would not hurt the long-term prospects, industry insiders said.

But experts said they have exhibited somewhat similar strategies to entice new users or enhance user engagement, underscoring the saturation of China's mobile internet market that could put a dent on revenue growth over time.

"In its current form, the meat industry is unsustainable," Michael Dent said in a research report for IDTechEx.

"But increasing trade tension rhetoric may also have dented confidence about buying in the US, along with uncertainty over whether travel restrictions would be applied in the future.

Rising costs in sourcing raw materials from the mainland to dent fortunes of firmsFor Jason Cheung, who owns a 40-year-old family business that makes educational toys, it is difficult to imagine moving production out of China, where his company has manufactured its products since the firm's founding.

Hugo Hernandez, executive director of the state-run Salvadoran Coffee Council, said public policy aimed to reactivate the sector after the disease dented output by destroying the plant's leaves, leaving coffee beans exposed to sunlight, changes in weather and insects.

Wang Lu, Asia-Pacific oil and gas analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, said the slowing growth rate is mostly due to alternative fuel vehicles, which has in turn dented China's transport oil demand.

Diesel is the largest component of China's major oil products, so any slowdown in its use will dent demand for oil products, Wang explained.

Chinese technology companies have begun making their dent in the generative AI space.

Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association, said the rush to buy, coupled with the Spring Festival holiday, which this year fell in January, dented NEV sales for that month.

Chinese automaker Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp Ltd (JAC) reported a net loss in the first half of the year (H1) as the COVID-19 epidemic dented sales.

The major new energy vehicle manufacturer has been a bright spot in the country's automobile industry, but its decreased new energy vehicle sales from July to September dented its earnings.

This weakening was not a "short-term dent" that could be made up quickly, Denner told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

Analysts said withdrawing subsidies may dent sales in the short term but will benefit the industry in the long run as it will force out those over-reliant on financial stimuli.

"These have dented consumer confidence, although there is little fundamental change in the automotive market," Xu said.

"These have dented consumer confidence, although there is little fundamental change in the automotive market," said Xu.

"Despite the long-term prospects, the dented confidence among consumers has taken its toll on the passenger car market, which accounted for the lion's share of total vehicle sales in the country.

Electric and hybrid cars have emerged and are gradually making a small dent in a large market.

The recall of about 1.2 million vehicles in Japan is likely to cost the company 26 billion yen, while compensation payments in the US for Takata Corp airbag-related cases also dented the year's outlook.

Macroeconomic conditions and sporadic instances of COVID-19 cases also weighed on consumer spending into the end of last year, which dented growth of e-commerce companies.

Epidemic and trade expo cancellation fail to dent enthusiasm of companiesAs the world's biggest show in the mobile communications industry, the Mobile World Congress, or MWC Barcelona 2020, was canceled this year amid concerns about the virus outbreak, Chinese company Xiaomi Corp unveiled its latest smartphone on Thursday.

"Several City Brain projects have made a dent, with application scenarios ranging from smart construction sites and water quality and pollution monitoring to the IoT for public utilities and security management of public rental houses based on facial recognition.

Hong Kong's role as an international financial center where global capital is allocated highly efficiently could be dented due to the ongoing "deglobalization" trend.

Such a lack of market liquidity, if it becomes a chronic phenomenon on the BSE, will raise transaction costs for investors, weigh on stock valuations, limit the financing ability of listed firms and dent the exchange's attractiveness for companies seeking IPOs.

The COVID-19 epidemic has severely dented global growth and it may remain in negative territory this year, said Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund.

"As long as the appetite for risk is dented by global growth fears, trade tensions and uncertainties over Brexit, among many other geopolitical risk factors, gold will remain in the driving seat," Otunuga said.

But such share sales have not dented market confidence.

But he expressed concern high volatility may dent regulators' determination to push forward the reform on other boards. "

Several online lending platforms, with weak management capabilities, could be swept out, said Yuan, adding that such moves will dent investor confidence, trigger bulk withdrawals and increase bankruptcy risks for the platforms.

Wheat slumped for a third straight day, following corn and soybean lower and as stiff global competition dented demand for US shipments.

The disappointing nonfarm jobs report also dented investor sentiment.

Despite the overall positive economic outlook for the region, the report also lists several risks including faster-than-expected interest rate hikes in the US, monetary policy normalization in major advanced economies, and the growing threat of inward-orientation across the global economy, which will likely dent the momentum of global trade expansion.

This would put a dent in the books of China's internet firms, such as Ant Financial Services Group and JD Finance, which have issued securities backed by microloans.

"What we are suggesting are practical steps to ensure that the UK has reasons to be confi dent in the 'China brand'.

"-Xi backs stronger risk-reduction role for China central bank"The Chinese economy's better than expected performance over the past year has given financial officials an opportunity to rein in credit, which they previously worried could dent economic growth.

Both domestic and international challenges have dented confidence and overall demand.